Reitz Four Equality Court matter settled out of court

The Equality Court matter between the “Reitz Four” students and the University of the Free State (UFS) workers in which each worker claimed R1-million in damages, has been settled out of court, the Volksblad newspaper reported on Monday.

The report said it was expected that the UFS would make an announcement on the matter on Monday.

The newspaper said the out of court settlement allegedly includes an agreement that the four former students would make a public apology on television.

The UFS, which was also added to the Equality Court proceedings with the students, would also give its apology to the workers at the time.

The report said the head of the South African Human Rights Commission in the province, Mothusi Lepheane, who represented the workers, would not comment on the matter but indicated that a solution would be reached within the next two days.

On Monday, legal representative for the students Christo Dippenaar confirmed that an agreement was reached but could not give detail on the matter.

The charges relate to the students humiliating five black workers in an initiation-type ceremony in 2007, which they filmed while living at the University’s now-closed Reitz men’s residence.

In papers filed at the court the workers Emmah Koko, Rebecca Adams, Naomi Phororo, Mittah Ntlatseng and David Molete asked that the former students apologise to black women and black people generally and pay them R1-million each.

The former students RC Malherbe, Johnny Roberts, Schalk van der Merwe and Danie Grobler were in July 2009 sentenced to a R20 000 fine each, or 12 months in jail after pleading guilty to a charge of crimen injuria.

They were later granted leave to appeal their sentence, which would be heard in June this year.—Sapa